The last few weeks have been filled with an intensity and focus in life that I haven't lived for a long time. I feel alive, and I feel like I'm "in the game" of life, working to create the life I want to live. My coach, mentor, and friend tells me, "Luis, if it's something that you really want, what does it matter how difficult it is or how long it takes to get there." I recognize I'm on a journey, on a climb (yes, I love that old Miley Cyrus song), but the reality has hit me several times over the last few weeks...I'm powerfully engaged, I'm laser focused, I'm fully present, and I'm moving forward with one foot in front of the other.

LIFE IS A NETWORK
I have stepped back into a world of meeting with amazing writers and artists, managers, record execs, and other music industry professionals. My calendar is beginning to be filled with writing appointments, and some of the times are with some of the best writers in the world, much less Nashville (which is home to the greatest songwriters in the world).

LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE
I attended an event the other day with Guy Gilchrist, who is an illustrator for Nancy comics, as well as the Muppets, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Bugs Bunny, and more. He's amazingly talented. It was a small group of maybe 20 people, and he shared with the group about sharing your light with the world. He talked about how he has shared his light with the world through his drawings and illustrations. It was just a poignant reminder that we shine best when we give of ourselves, and we share our gifts and talents with the world. Maybe your gift will only reach a few people, or maybe it will reach all over the world, but imagine what a life will be lived if we dare to shine so brightly.

THE ART OF VULNERABILITY
And so it is for me over these last few weeks, letting the light dare to shine. I have been in intense discussions with my team as we work on the business and marketing plan. They're making me dig deep into what it is that I want as an artist and what kind of career I want. I've listened to hours and hours of music, and I've been writing and singing EVERY single day. I'm amazed at what a better husband, father, and overall person I am when I'm engaged in something that stokes the fire of my passion. And yet, as I create more music and develop my "sound", there is a pause, and the realization of a daring vulnerability that is required to share myself with the world in such a way. It's some of the same vulnerability that I feel in sharing my story through this blog. Its scary stuff, yet empowering, and I am convinced that it is the path from which my light shines.

WHAT DOES IT MATTER?
If it's what I really want, what does it matter how difficult it is or how long it takes? And if I'm really willing to dare, what does it matter if I ever get "there", wherever "there" is? At least I will have gone for it, and imagine the stories to tell of a life well lived! Just one foot in front of the other...